Counter



April 11, 1961 s. GRAYDON, JR

COUNTER Filed July 15, 19s:

F/GZ

INVENTOR.

(STERL /G GRA YDON JR.

ATTORNEYS %0 eff 4 Unite States Patent Q COUNTER Filed July 13, 1953, Ser. No. 367,391 4 Claims. (Cl. 235117) The present invention relates to counters having a plurality of digit wheels arranged for rotation about a shaft, and more particularly to a construction and arrangement for such counters which particularly fits them for assembly in a group arranged in a long row, with the digit wheels of all the counters arranged for rotation about a common axis.

An object of the present invention is to provide a counter which is particularly suited for assembly in a large group of identical counters for tallying a plurality of items by types.

Another object is to provide such a counter of durable construction, yet simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to provide a counter which is par ticularly suited for assembly in a group arranged in a long row, from which any one of the individual counters may be quickly and easily removed for replacement or repair without disturbing the remaining counters in the row.

Another object is to provide a counter having a plurality of digit wheels arranged for rotation about a common shaft passing through the counter, the digit wheels being so constructed and arranged as to be capable of mutual self-support in the counter in the absence of the common shaft.

Another object is to provide a counter of the character described which is particularly suitable for withdrawal from or substitution in a long row of identical counters without affecting the operation or accuracy of tally of other counters in the row.

Another object is to provide a counter of the character described whose tally is continuously readable during its actual counting operation,

Another object is to provide a counter particularly suitable for arrangement with a plurality of identical counters in a long row in which the digit wheels of the several counters so arranged are supported for rotation on a common shaft extending the length of the row and passing through each counter, the counters thus arranged being capable of positive and accurate resetting in unison by rotation of the common shaft.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate side and top outline views, respectively, of a counter constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the counter of Figure 2, taken on the line 33 thereof;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the counter of Figure 3 taken on the line 4-4 thereof;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a digit Wheel for use in a counter constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 6 is another enlarged perspective view of the digit wheel shown in Figure 5, viewed from the opposite side thereof.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views, a counter constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in outline in Figures 1 and 2, and, as shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4, includes a casing 2 provided with annular bearings 6 and 8 journaling a shaft-4 on which are supported for rotation in coaxial adjacent relation a group of identical digit wheels 10, 1'2, 14, 16.

In such a group of digit wheels adjacent wheels are intended to display digits corresponding to units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc., of a total which the counter is employed to record. This total is registered on the counter by consecutive depressions of the counter key 18, and may be continuously observed through a viewing window 2t) fixed in the top of the casing, and labelled by a tag or other indicia inserted in slot 22 under viewing window 2i).

Since the digit wheels are identical, only units digit wheel 10 will be described in detail. On one side of the digit wheel is fastened a driven gear 24. The driven gear 24 has ten equally spaced peripheral teeth 25, spaced by nine shallow notches 26, and by one deep notch 25th The digit wheel is provided with an axial throughbore 30, cyiindrically counterbored as at 32 on its driven gear side. On the opposite side from its driven gear side, digit wheel 10 is provided with a raised cylindrical hub 34, disposed coaxially with throughbore 3t), and of diameter and height slightly smaller than the diameter and depth, respectively of counterbore 32.

When the several digit wheels are assembled in coaxial relation on shaft 4, it may thus be seen that they are arranged for rotative nesting, with the raised cylindrical hub 34 of one wheel fitting into the cylindrical counterbore 32 in the opposite face of the adjacent wheel. The hub of the thousands digit wheel 16 fits into a mating counterbore in bearing 8, and counterbore 32 of units digit wheel 10 receives the inner end of bearing 6. Disposed between adjacent Wheels are spacers 38, apertured to receive hubs 34, and prevented from rotation with the wheels by engagement with shaft 40 supported in casing 2. Spacers 38 thus serve to prevent frictional engagement between adjacent wheels, and inadvertent rotation of one wheel by its neighbor.

Bearing 6 is provided with threads 44 for axial movement thereof to adjust the axial clearances between the nesting elements of the several wheels. In accordance with the present invention, bearing 6 is adjusted to provide sufficient total axial clearance that, when distributed between the several digit wheels and spacers, their frictional contact is slight yet the normal clearance between adjacent elements is small relative to the depth of penetration of hubs 34 into their mating counterbores 32.

As shown in Figure 3, hubs 34 do not bottom in the counterbores 32 of adjacent wheels, and the difference in hub and counterbore diameter, though also small in relation to penetration of hubs 34 into counterbores 32, is sufiicient to preserve a definite annular clearance between hubs and counterbores when the digit wheels are supported by the shaft 4. Thus in operation of the counter, the digit wheels may be easily rotated about shaft 4 by the application of very light forces to the counter key 18.

In accordance with the present invention, the shape of the digit wheels and the relative clearances above described provides an arrangement in which the digit wheels, though easily rotated in operation of the counter when assembled on shaft 4, are mutually self-supporting from bearings 6 and 8 when shaft 4 is removed. That is, although in the absence of shaft 4 each wheel becomes cocked relative to its neighbor, and the several wheels together fall into a slight catenary, radial or shearwise relative motion of each wheel relative to its neighbor is prevented by the nesting action of each hub 34 in its mating counterbore 32. The several digit wheels are thus capable of mutual self-support in the absence of the shaft 4 about which they are designed to rotate normally.

Thus when a counter constructed in accordance with the present invention is assembled, it is not necessary to engage in the laborious steps of holding each wheel in proper coaxial relation with the axis of the shaft 4 while the shaft is being inserted through the group of wheels. The several wheels may be merely stacked in nested relation, inserted in casing 2, and the threaded bearing 6 adjusted to insure that the hub 34 of each wheel nests in the counterbore 32 of its neighbor a sufficient distance to prevent radial or shearwise relative motion of the wheels. Then the partially assembled counter may be set aside or otherwise further processed prior to the insertion of the shaft 4 without danger that the several wheels will fall out.

Arrangement of the wheels for assembly in this manner in accordance with the present invention is particularly advantageous when it is desired to assemble a plurality of individual counters, each having a plurality of digit wheels, in a single coaxial formation for inserting therethrough of a long common shaft, in place of the plurality of individual shafts 4. Heretobefore in assembling such an arrangement of counters, it has been necessary either to perform the arduous task of painstakingly positioning each wheel in each counter while feeding the end of the long common shaft through the wheel, or providing additional structure in the individual counters to support the digit wheels prior to insertion of the common shaft. It will be recognized that the effort and waste motion involved in such an assembly is both time consuming and costly. In eliminating such painstaking assembly steps, the present invention therefore substantially simplifies the assembly of a row of counters having wheels disposed on a common shaft.

Also, in such a row of counters, if it is desired to replace a single counter in the row, it is merely necessary to Withdraw the common shaft from all the counters, replace the counter desired, and reinsert the common shaft, since when the common shaft is withdrawn the stack of wheels ineach other individual counter in the row merely falls into a slight catenary, and the wheels do not drop out of the counter.

The counter is arranged so that advance of the digit wheels is provided by depression of the key 18, digit Wheels of higher order than units digit wheel 10 being advanced one number as required when the next lower order wheel has completed one full cycle through its ten number range. For this purpose there are provided several ratchet fingers 60, 62, 64, 66 supported for rotation together about a common shaft 68. This shaft 63 is, in turn, supported parallel to shaft 4 and carried by the arms 70 of an actuating yoke 72, which is pivotally supported on shaft 74 and extends underneath the shaft 4. Yoke 72 carries counter key 18, and is rotated clockwise thereby as viewed in Figure 4, during a counting operation, against the bias of spring 76. The limits of oscillation of yoke 72 are provided by contact of the sides of apertures 78 therein with shaft 4. Counter key 18 is so positioned on yoke 72 as to permit the operator The ratchet fingers are disposed in fan-shaped relation, as viewed from the side as in Figure 4, so that their outer ends are spaced along an are turned from the center of shaft 68. The ratchet fingers are biased toward shaft 4 by spring 80, being restrained from rotation about shaft 68 by the contact of the finger 60 which is closest to shaft 4 with the periphery of the driven gear 24 of units digit wheel 10. Deep notch 28 is rotatively oriented relative to units digit wheel 10 so that when wheel 10 is rotated to display the number 9 through the viewing window in casing 2, notch 28 is positioned opposite finger 60.

The manner of operation of such ratchet fingers is well-known in the art, and will therefore be described only briefly. When key 18 is depressed to record one count on the counter, finger 60 engages the adjacent tooth on wheel 10 and rotates the wheel one number.

With succeeding counts, wheel 10 eventually displays to continuously observe the count through window 20,

the number 9 through window 20, thus bringing notch 28 opposite finger 60, which is urged therein by spring 80. This permits sufiicient rotation of the remaining ratchet fingers to bring finger 62, which is positoned longitudinally on shaft 68 opposite tens digit wheel 12, into contact .with the adjacent tooth on its driven gear. At the next depression of key 18, therefore, not only does finger 60 rotate units digit wheel 10 to read zero, but finger 62 rotates tens digit wheel 12 one number.

The tens digit wheel 12 is likewise provided with a deep notch corresponding to notch 28 in wheel 10. Thus, when wheel 12 is rotated to display the number 9 through window 20, and the units digit is rotated to display the number 9, both ratchet finger 62 and ratchet finger 60 drop into deep notches. This permits rotation of the ratchet fingers still further about the shaft 68 toward the shaft 4, and brings into play ratchet finger 64, which in the manner above described engages a tooth of the driven gear for the hundreds digit wheel 14, and advances that wheel one number. In this way, successive number wheels representing successively higher order digits are advanced one number as required when the next lower order Wheel has completed one full cycle through its ten number range.

A spring 90, supported on shaft 40 and a parallel shaft 92 as shown in Figure 4, is provided for each digit wheel and serves to frictionally retard advancement of the digit wheel, thus limiting its advance to one number at a time. Springs also serve as ratchets to prevent reverse motion of the digit wheels.

To reset the counter to read zero, the shaft 4, which is freely rotatable in casing 2, is provided with a control knob at one end. In the shaft 4 is provided a longitudinal keyway 102, which serves as a one-tooth ratchet, and into which a spring 104 in each digit wheel biases a pawl 106, which is pivotally supported in the digit wheel at a point 94, as shown in Figure 4. One face of keyway 102 is sloped to cam out all of the pawls 106 against the bias of their respective springs 104 when the driven gears rotate the digit wheels clockwise relative to shaft 4 as shown in Figure 4 during a counting operation. However, rotation of the shaft 4 clockwise relative to the digit wheels, as shown in Figure 4, picks up the pawl 106 in each digit wheel as each in turn becomes rotatively aligned with the keyway 102,in shaft 4. The pawls 106 in the several digit wheels are fixed in the same angular position relative to the numbers on the digit wheel, so that when the pawls on the several digit wheels are aligned with keyway 102 on shaft 4 all the digit wheels display the same number through viewing window 20.

Further rotation of shaft 4 clockwise brings the number zero into viewing window 20 on all digit wheels, and thus resets the counter. This resetting arrangement is particularly suited to positive and accurate resetting of a long row of counters in unison, the common shaft extending therethrough eliminating any possible inaccuracies due to backlash. Moreover the use of but a single keyway or flat-sided slot 102 in such a shaft insures that a long common shaft may be inserted through a plurality of counters without regard to its rotative orientation yet without danger of resetting inaccurately. Preferably, the inserted end of such a shaft should be slightly rounded to cam pawls 106 out of the way as it is inserted.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. In a counter, a casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, said shaft being axially movable relative to said casing for withdrawal therefrom a row of number wheels rotatably supported on said shaft, annular telescopically interfitting means on said number wheels extending axially thereof and engageable in the absence of said shaft for the mutual self support of said wheels in a row, and means on the casing for vertically supporting the end wheels in said row and maintaining said interfitting means in telescopic engagement in the absence of said shaft, each wheel in said row of number wheels having radially extending means drivingly engageable with said shaft upon rotation thereof in a direction to advance the count thereby to permit resetting of the counter by rotation of said shaft.

2. In a counter, a casing, a shaft, a pair of spaced apart bearings on the casing journaling said shaft, said shaft being axially movable relative to said casing and bearings for withdrawal therefrom, a row of number wheels rotatably supported on said shaft, annular telescopically interfitting projections on said number wheels extending axially thereof and radially engageable in the absence of said shaft for the mutual self support of said wheels in a row, said bearings being axially engaged with the end wheels in said row and having means for vertically supporting said projections when the shaft is withdrawn, and means to adjust the bearings axially to hold said wheels in closely spaced relationship after assembly of the counter, each wheel in said row of number wheels having radially extending means drivingly engageable with said shaft upon rotation thereof in a direction to advance the count thereby to permit resetting of the counter by rotation of said shaft.

3. In a counter, a casing, spaced hearings in said casing, a shaft journaled in said bearings, for axial and rotative movement relative to said casing said shaft having an axial groove formed therein, a plurality of digit wheels rotatably mounted on said shaft, each of said digit wheels having a cylindrical projection on one side coaxial with said shaft and a corresponding coaxial cylindrical depression on the other side larger than and receiving the projection of the adjacent wheel in radially spaced rotative nesting relation, one of said bearings having a cylindrical projection and the other of said bearings having a cylindrical depression coaxial with said shaft and receiving the depression and projection respectively of the end wheels in said plurality, means for adjusting the axial spacing of said bearings to confine said projections in nested relation within said depressions whereby shearwise separation of said wheels is prevented and said wheels are capable of mutual self-support from said bearings when said shaft is removed each of said digit wheels having a radially extending projection engageable with the groove in said shaft upon rotation thereof in a direction to advance the count displayed on said digit wheels thereby to permit resetting of the counter upon rotation of said shaft.

4. In a multiple digit wheel tally counter adapted for assembly with a plurality of identical counters in a row having a common shaft for supporting the digit wheels of all the counters, a casing, spaced bearings in said casing for journaling said common shaft in said counter said bearing permitting axial movement of said common shaft relative thereto, a plurality of digit wheels having axially extending apertures for rotatably receiving said common shaft, annular telescopically interfitting means on said digit wheels engageable in the absence of said shaft for the mutual self support of said wheels in a row, means on said bearings supportingly engaging the end digit wheels of said plurality means for adjusting the axial spacing of said bearings to limit the axial play between said digit wheels in the absence of said common shaft, whereby said common shaft may be removed from said counter to permit insertion and removal of said counter in said row without incurring the collapse of said digit wheels in said counter, a yoke supported for pivotal movement in said casing, spring means biasing said yoke pivotally toward said digit wheels, a counter key on said yoke adapted to pivotally actuate said yoke away from said digit wheels responsive to a depression of said key during a counting operation, means on said yoke engageable with said wheels for controlling the advance of said digit wheels responsive to a depression of said counter key, and an aperture in said casing spaced from said counter key for displaying said digit wheels during a counting operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,340 Kilmer July 28, 1885 374,629 Reinhardt Dec. 13, 1887 488,206 Judd Dec. 20, 1892 865,200 Moore et al Sept. 3, 1907 914,265 Gass Mar. 2, 1909 1,219,901 Alvey Mar. 20, 1917 1,444,586 Cook et a1 Feb. 6, 1923 1,460,917 Penaflor July 3, 1923 2,077,521 Hayden Apr. 20, 1937 2,175,621 Van Veen Oct. 10, 1939 2,572,784 Van Veen Oct. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 359,636 Germany Sept. 25, 1922 

